Workshops for Artists, Arts Educators to Focus on How Seniors Benefit from Arts Activities

The N.H. State Council on the Arts is offering two Creative Aging Workshops for teaching artists and arts educators interested in working with adults 55 and older. The workshops will provide research on arts and aging, explore what is different about adult learning, analyze best practices, and help participants combine their arts and education skills to form a strong basis for working with older adults.

Research has shown that seniors involved in intensive participatory art programs report better health, fewer doctor visits and less medication usage than their peers who were only involved in their regular ongoing activities.

A workshop designed for artists with a background working in education will take place Sept. 16, 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Kilton Library in West Lebanon. The second workshop, which is open to all artists with an interest in working with older adults, will take place Sept. 17, 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. at GoodLife Programs and Activities in Concord.

Workshop presenters are Maura O’Malley, CEO and co-founder of Lifetime Arts and Annie Montgomery, master teaching artist at Lifetime Arts.

Pre-registration is required as space is limited. Each workshop has a registration fee of $50, which includes a box lunch and all materials. For more information about the Creative Aging Workshops, to register and to learn more about the N.H. State Council on the Arts’ Arts in Health grants and programs, visit nh.gov/nharts or contact Catherine O’Brian, 603-271-0795, catherine.r.obrian@dcr.nh.gov.

The Creative Aging Workshops are sponsored by the N.H. State Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts, in cooperation with the Arts Alliance of Northern New Hampshire, the Kilton Library, GoodLife Programs and Activities. Co-op Food Stores of New Hampshire and Vermont is a supporter.

The N.H. State Council on the Arts is a division of the Department of Cultural Resources. The State Arts Council provides a wide variety of services, competitive grants, and technical assistance to not-for-profit organizations, schools, health care facilities, and individual artists, helping to ensure that the arts thrive in New Hampshire and are accessible to all. Funding for grants and services is provided by the New Hampshire Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Learn more at www.nh.gov/nharts